Category: Solo female cyclist
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44. Grande Finale Day – OSLO ! (July 24)
Suddenly Oslo popped up, and my family were waiting for me at the finish line! . My first hugs in a long time! and 4138 kms since I left home. Photos still to come, but most of you have seen the video on Instagram or Facebook. It was a very happy moment, although it feels…
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43. A Rolling stone gathers no moss for 4000 kms (July 23)
The terrain rose up and became beautifully hilly. Massive piles of mossy granite boulders pushed up through the oats fields while balancing trees on their heads. These hills are perfectly spaced to allow cyclists to whizz down a steep slope for 10 seconds before starting up the next for 10 minutes. Up and down like…
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42. Swedish bitters (July 21)
Apologies to the Swedish for putting these dull pictures on the blog, it was the only cloudy day they’ve had in a long time. Most days they are either fighting fires or lying on the beaches. After a very pleasant rest near Ängelholme, I made my wiggly way up the coast. The cycle route was…
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41. Copenhagen magic (July 19)
It was the hottest day of the year. Even so, it’s always a pleasure to be in this city. We spent the day rolling around enjoying the scenery. Bruce and Kealena treated me to an all insclusive personalised tour. Meals, a chat with the little mermaid, and a new lock for my bike. So…
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40. Sneaking up to Copenhagen (July 18)
There are two respectful ways to enter Copenhagen, one is sailing in, and the other is rolling softly in on a bike. One should take a full day to do it. When cycling in these realms, one needs a particular set of skills. Kealena and Bruce kindly gave me a crash course, thereby avoiding unecessary…
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39. Bridging the Baltic Sea (July 17)
The great crossing began with a blue sun. Our posh hotel elevator, being slightly too short for a bike body, had the girls doing a circus trick by balancing the front wheels up on the golden hand rail. It was a frizzling hot day, so we had ice-cream at the beach and a large Döner…
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36. Hamburger sophistication (July 11)
What do you order for dinner in Hamburg? Sweet-potato chips. But ask any Hamburger citizen and they will tell you with pride that the food here is highly sophisticated and exquisite. From rich and savoury to spicy and sweet, luscious meats, delightful veggies, free range biofriendly everything under the sun and rain. I began the…
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34. Biking on. (July 8)
Riding together with Birgitta and Hanns Georg was fantastic, they knew where to go, so I didn’t need to navigate, and could just pedal along in bliss, babbling on. We had a delicious lunch in a big garden. They let me go after about 60 kms. I had to go on over the hills. I…
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33. 2500 km raspberry-pop shop. (July 7)
The 2500 km mark popped up directly in front of a raspberry farm stall. It was a happy moment after a day of riding through industrial parks and road works. I was negotiating yet another “umlietung” which took me off canal and through a farm. It had been a tough, hot, smelly day of riding…
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32. Goodbye my friend, Rhine. (July 5)
This is yesterday’s post. Hotel’s and hostels offer very poor wifi, so the blog cannot be shared when it should be, it has to wait for the next stop, just like many things in life. The sun is dragging his billowing sky down to the smoking chimney stacks. A giant storm growled through dinner, but…
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31. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. (July 4)
Mostly very very good, a little bad and a tiny bit of Ugly. Magnificent riding along the Rhein from Bad Honnef to Cologne. Thanks to those who have worked to make the cycle tracks there. Brilliant! There is also a ferry man that pulls you across a stream on a raft…wearing a sailor cap and…
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30. Loreley. (July 3)
Simon came to see me at the Loreley section of the Rhein for the weekend. A short relaxing break from riding my bike. We visited 5 castles on Sunday morning. The Bellevue Rheinhotel, a historic place to stay, if you’re looking for a bit of pampering. Riesling wine tasting and gourmet cuisine. I think…
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29. Painting at the riverside. (June 29)
The morning was exuberant with fresh vineyards. Riesling grapes still budding on the vines. The Rhein is becoming greener too. My little paintbox made happy colours and manifested this naivety. Someone had set up the perfect table and chairs on the riverbank just for me. I felt very happy under my number. Would a…
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27. Big Green Umbrella. (June 28)
Today the wind came up against me. The tall poplar trees along the river bank clapped their silver leaves, making a high sound like a standing ovation at an opera. It was a blue sky day, with puffy clouds dotted about. Birds of prey skimmed over the golden bristles of the harvested wheat fields looking…
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26. 2000 km Jube-jubelation. (June 27)
Today, this afternoon, at 16:30, we stopped for ice-cream at Jesolo eis, to celebrate our 2000 km moment. Us, being my bike and I. A lovely young lady Kira very kindly served a trophy pistachio and fresh kiwi sundae, and took a photograph of my CUBE trekking bike with me behind it eating the eis.…
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24. A Bicycle is a marvellous machine (June 24)
Riding a bike along the banks of a river has a profound effect on the rider. The river softly massages away one’s knotty moods, while the bike carries you along at a pace neither fast nor slow…it goes at the exact speed you need to be propelled, so as to see most of the beauty,…
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23. Black Forest Gateau. (June 22)
No sign of the famous Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte so far. Maybe the world famous Black Forest Gateau will make an appearance at my next destination, which would be Freiburg, although I doubted I would make it that far in one day. The journey was not without highs and lows, although the terrain was flat. Steel works,…
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22. Bed bugzzzi. (June 22)
The only men I attract by my appearance these days, are those with noisy machines. – mowers, tractors, builders and lorry drivers. Even the rubbish truck man made a comment after a near miss. I don’t think it was complimentary. But the hoteliers usually always shake my hand when I leave, which is sweet. My…
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21. Emerald River blues. (June 19-21)
19 June 2018. Early morning ride along the southern shore of lake Constance (Bodensee in German) which forms the border between Switzerland and Germany, was so calm after the turbulent river that feeds it, unlike me who woke up in the night with vertigo! I was horrified of course, and so worried that I would…
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20. Singing down to the Bodensee. (June 18)
I dropped down from the mountain ice, with the river misting at my side. From Stuben to Bludenz to Nenzing to Feldkirch. My wheels spun fast between the trees, until the land began to plain, and the white stream expanded into a calm turquoise lens. The tunnel panic wasn’t so bad this time, being Sunday…